FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   
April 28, 2022
Washington, DC

The credit union movement’s brightest human resources and organizational development stars were recognized during an awards luncheon ceremony at the CUNA HR & Organizational Development Council Conference, April 24-27, 2022, at the Hilton Lake Buena Vista in Orlando, Florida. The winners and their accomplishments will be featured in an upcoming issue of Credit Union Magazine.

“HR and organizational development professionals continue to experience unprecedented challenges at their credit unions. Despite this, members of our community have forged ahead to convert these challenges to opportunities for providing even stronger solutions for their colleagues, members and communities,” said Jan Johnson, vice chair of the HROD Council, chair of the Awards & Recognition Committee, and executive vice president of organizational agility at Royal Credit Union. “We honor and appreciate their collaboration and leadership across the credit union movement.”

Recognition Award Winners:

• Dawn Bartell, chief operations officer at Community First Federal Credit Union in Lakeview, Mich., has won the 2022 Professional of the Year Award. This award distinguishes an individual who consistently excels at creating value for their employer, elevates the HR or organizational development functions within their organization and contributes to the credit union movement.
• Nicole Gaby, director of human resources, Financial Plus Credit Union in Flint, Mich., has been named the 2022 Rising Star, which recognizes an emerging credit union professional in HR or organizational development.
• Marianne Scarzello, director of human resources, Tucson Old Pueblo Credit Union in Tucson, Ariz., was named the 2022 Top Community Contributor, which recognizes the value and expertise shared with peers through collaboration within the CUNA Councils Community.

Excellence in HR & Organizational Development Award Winners:

• University of Michigan Credit Union in Ann Arbor, Mich., was named Best of Show, Employee Engagement, Assets More than $1 billion for their entry titled “Leadership Development Camp.”
• Category: Employee Engagement (Assets Less than $499 million)
  Electro Savings Credit Union, St. Louis
  Winning Entry: Culture and Covid
• Category: Employee Engagement (Assets More than $1 billion)
  University of Michigan Credit Union, Ann Arbor, Mich.
  Winning Entry: UMCU Success Celebration
• Category: Innovative Staff Development (Assets Less than $499 million)
  Electro Savings Credit Union, St. Louis
  Winning Entry: Power Leaders Professional Development Program
• Category: Innovative Staff Development (Assets More than $1 billion
  Consumers Credit Union, Gurnee, Ill.
  Winning Entry: Learning & Development Strategy
• Category: Management Practices (Assets Less than $499 million)
  Minnesota Credit Union Network, St. Paul, Minn.
  Winning Entry: Tim Tacheny – Minnesota Credit Union Network
• Category: Management Practices (Assets More than $1 billion)
  iQ Credit Union, Vancouver, Wash.
  Winning Entry: Inclusion & Belonging at iQ Credit Union

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About CUNA:           
Credit Union National Association (CUNA) is the only national association that advocates on behalf of all of America’s credit unions, which are owned by 130 million consumer members. CUNA, along with its network of affiliated state credit union leagues, delivers unwavering advocacy, continuous professional growth and operational confidence to protect the best interests of all credit unions. For more information about CUNA, visit cuna.org. To find your nearest credit union, visit YourMoneyFurther.com.

About CUNA Councils:
CUNA Councils is a member-led, collaborative community of credit union leaders providing vibrant peer interaction, new ideas and innovation to foster professional development for our members while advocating for the overall success of the credit union movement. There are eight CUNA Councils with a network of more than 7,600 credit union professionals. For more information, visit cunacouncils.org.

CONTACT:          
Deshundra Jefferson   
CUNA Communications        
202-809-4081